Legend Of The Ice Alchemist
by Sailor Moon Girl
Summary: Ed and Al have entered a small desert town known as Ramsville while on the search for the stone. There they are drafted to become a pop star named Tiger Lilly's Body Gaurd to protect her from the military. But is there more to Crystal than meets the eye?
1. Hi & Goodbye

**DISCLAIMER:** I am not going to do a disclaimer because everyone knows i don't own Full Metal Alchemist or any of the songs used in this fan fiction at all!

Legend Of The Ice Alchemist  
Chapter 1-Prologue-Hello Goodbye

In a small town known as Risenbule, a newly married couple known as the Elrics moved into a small home that rested on a hill. The new couple lived happily in the small community and a year later, they had a daughter who they named Lillian Marie. The young baby girl looked just like her mother, but with her father's dark blue eyes. The family continued to be happy, with Mr. Elric studding the art of Alchemy, or the ablility to combine both magic and science by using the "equivilent exchange" rule. Two years after Lilly was born, Mrs. Elric had another child, a boy that they named Edward. another year passed and the third Elric child, a boy named Alphonse was born. By then, things wern't as happy for the family as they started out. Every once in a while, Mr. and Mrs. Elric got into headed arguements, forcing Lilly to take her two brothers to their friend and closest neighbor who lived a few blocks away, Pinako and Wrinry Rockabell often. But then, when Lilly was seven, Ed was five and Al was four, Mr. Elric left their home without warning. This left Trisha Elric so upset that she went into a deep depresion. Soon Lilly had to become a sort of mother for her brothers by cleaning the messes and wounds, cooking their meals and helping them with their homework, even though she had to take care of herself. Over the course of two years, Trisha started to get sick with an unknown disease. Because of the disease, she became even more depressed until she would no longer leave the room she shared once with Mr. Elric, but now with Lilly. Soon Pinako Rockabell had to come to visit every once in a while to help Lilly and the two boys. As things continued to get worse, once day, Lillian Marie Elric made a tough desiscion...

_"Lilly you can't go!" nearly shouted seven year old Edward Elric, his blond bangs being longer than the rest of his hear while his blue eyes were nearly briming with tears. Nine year old Lilly, her long brown hair tied in a braid lifted her white duffel bag over her head so the strap rested over her shoulder and turned to her young brother._

_"I'm sorry Ed, but I have to." she said, bending down so she could look into his eyes. even though she was only nine years old, she was already almost five feet tall. "All of these problems started with dad leaving us. Maybe if he comes back things will get better." Lilly stood up and ruffled his hair, making him moan in annoience. the Elric sister walked down the hall from the kitchen they where in and into the living room. Six year old Alphonse Elric was asleep on the old couch while a TV with a snowed screen was one in the corner, it's volume turned down until it was nearly mute. While Ed stood in the doorway, Lilly turned off the television and walked over to her baby brother. She put the old yellow blanket over him and kissed Al on the forehead before leaving the room. As she left the room, Ed crossed his arms over his chest and said "You have a year. Then you have to come back."_

_"A year huh?" she said with a smile. "Sounds due-able." the two walked back through the hallway of the small house and peeked inside the master room where Trisha Elric was sleeping. Lilly made a quiet sigh and closed the door, the only sound in the house being the small click of the lock. Lilly walked to the front door and opened it. Outside the sky was still dark blue but it was quickly being laced with different shades of orange, red and yellow as the sun started to rise._

_"Ed," said the eldest Elric child. "You had better be the man of the house until I return."_

_"Yes Lillian." he replied, still fighting back the tears. Lilly saw this and hugged him._

_"Don't worry Ed. at every town I come to I'll write to you all about it. The first town i'm going to is Lightsight City on the small island near here."_

_"Okay." the two broke the hug and she walked out the door. She took a few steps onto the dirt path and turned around. _

_"Edward, don't forget that this isn't a 'goodbye' moment, but more like a 'see-you-later' moment."_

_"alright then, See you later Lilly!" _

_"See you later!" the young girl started running down the grassy hill, her upper body turned so she could see Ed and waving. The middle Elric child watched his sister run down the hill until she was as small as a pin head and stepped inside, closing the door behind him..._

Unfortunatly for the Elric Family, it did turn into a goodbye moment. the boat that was heading to lightsight City crashed on the island's sharp reaf, killing every one on board. Most of the bodies were never found, but most police and military officers were convinced the missing ones had an under water grave. The news that Lilly was dead shocked the family. Mrs. Elric soon got even more depressed until soon, when Ed was nine and Al was eight, she died. The boys became so distraught that they decided to learn Alchemy to bring their mother back. After a year of studding, they decided they were good enough to attempt the taboo of Alchemy. However, it didn't work. Al ended up loosing his body while Ed lost his right arm and left leg to plaster Al's soul to a large suit of armor that was nearby. After this incident, Ed had to get Automail, or robotic limbs so that he and Al could continue on with their lives. At age 11 Ed became the second youngest person to join the military and soon the two Elric boys started a journy to search for the Philosopher's stone. The stone, they believed could help them turn their bodies back to normal. But as they entered a small desert town known as Ramsville, thier travel's take an interesting turn.

**PREVIEW:** **Chapter 2-Earl Had To Die**


	2. Earl Had To Die!

**DISCLAIMER:** You all already know i don't Full Metal Alchemist or any of the songs used in this fanfic, so i wont do a disclaimer because it takes up a lot of time. So There!

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Mr. shuji motojime name in japanese is Mr. Manager manager. I think that's funny but it sounds good in Japanese. oh well.

Legend Of The Ice Alchemist  
Track 2: Earl Had To Die!

"Finally! some civilization!" shouted Edward Elric, punching the air with his robotic arm.

"Brother, calm down, people are looking." Said Ed's younger brother, Alphonse as he waved his arms at his brother while the citizens of the small desert town stared at them like they were nuts. Ed put his arm down and sighed. sweat glistened off his brow while him and his mechanical brother walked down the main road of the town called Ramsville. all around them, the desert town was busting with life. Each of the buildings were made out of sandstone and thrick rock while the citizens of Ramsville were dressed in summer, yet colorful clothing. As they took careful steps as to not kick up desert dust, Ed gave a satisfied sigh.

"How long has it been since we were actually in a town, 6 weeks?" he asked after a few minutes.

"Yeah, I think so brother." Ed sighed and streched out his arms above his head as they walked through the streets. The search for the philosopher's stone had taken them so far away from their hometown that they were now in a totaly different country. While their homeland was full of grass and the sea circled around the somewhat large chunks of land, this one was all desert and ghost towns. Al looked over at a nearby allyway and said "Look brother." the short blond member of the duo turned his head to the side while he put his arms down and saw a large pile of rocks and metal sitting in a pyramid shape.

"Yeah...what of it Al?"

"Look closer." Ed squinched his eyes and placed his normal hand just above his eyebrows. He stared down the rubble and metal until the muscles in his forehead ached when he finally saw a short leg with a multicolored tennis shoe on it's small foot. Ed made a started gasp and mumbled "Is that...a kid?" the blond Elric brother sprinted into the allyway before his younger brother could reply and touched the leg's bare anke with his metal finger. the limb twitched and Ed said "I think he's alive."

"What are we gonna do brother?" the slap of Ed's hands was the answer. He planted his palms on the desert ally floor and while the earth underneath the pile glowed white, he ordered "I'll get the metal, you get the rocks okay?"

"You got it brother." Al quickly pulled out a small white piece of chalk and drew a simple circle on the ground next to his brother. he added some triangles and other circles and then placed his palms on the rim of the circle. the circle glowed white and he said "Ready." the other Elric brother nodded and the metal started to jiggle inbetween the rocks. With a sudden swift movement, the metal rods and sheets flew into the air and transformed into a cat statue that landed gracefully on the street behind them. the rock started to roll away once the metal was gone, however they soon floated up into the air and landed in a neat pile father into the ally. the two Elric brothers stood up and clapped exis dirt off their hands. What remained of the large pile was a young boy with matted brown hair and wearing torn clothes. dirt powdered his skin and a few spots on his limbs and face had blood, some dry while some was wet. Ed walked over to the boy, who looked about ten years old and placed two of the fingers of his normal hand on the boy's neck. after about ten seconds he turned to Al, relief flooding his face as he said "He's alive, just unconcious. "

"Oh, thank goodness," said Al with a sigh of relief. there was a moan from the young boy and his blue eyes fluttered open.

"Hey, you okay kid?" asked Ed, drawing the young boy's attention to him. The boy nodded and mumbled "There was an ledge between the buildings...I guss it collapsed while I was walking through."

"We're just glad you're okay. We thought you were dead when we saw your leg under the rubble," said Al as Ed gave the young boy his hand and helped him up. the boy looked at the talking suit and gulped. Ed quickly got the hint and said "Don't worry about Al. He wouldn't hurt a fly." the boy just nodded and said "Thanks for helping me. My name's Will."

"Ed. and that's Al." Will let out a smile and some dirt fell from his cheeks. there was a high pitched scream from an unkown source and the boy's smile turned upside down. while the two alchemists turned around, Will said "Oh no, their back."

"Who's back?" asked Al, confused. Will walked out of the ally way and turned his head left and right without a single word. He then pointed towards the left and motioned for the other two to look.

"See those two guys harrasing that woman?" he asked. the two Elric's fallowed Will's finger to the small supermarket nearby. From where they were standing they could see two men in strange white military uniforms harrasing a women with curly brown hair and wearing a red dress. Ed and Al nodded at the scene while the boy continued. "That's Jake and Michel. They're part of a military group that is running this country. their leader is Haden and the men like to terrize us all the time." Ed just shook his head and thought '_It's a shame that people do that._'

"That's terrible!" Al said in surprise. Will just nodded while his eyes got big quickly. "What is Jake doing?" he asked himself. Ed took a close look and watched as a dust storm went around the small group's feet. Ed let a wicked smile cross his face and he said "Alchemy." Alphonse looked at his brother and said "He's using alchemy to harrass that women? that's a little extreme."

"Yep. maybe we should help her?" the boy looked at the two alchemists and tears welded up in his eyes.

"Can you please help her?" the two Elric brothers started running towards the direction of the supermarket and Will shouted "Be careful! those two are dangerious!"

Jake, a big burlly man with wild black hair and needing of a shave, laughed as a small dirt devil swirled around him. The women in the red dress held the cloth to her knees to keep it from flying up as the door behind her swung open with a ding. A man in his thirties with blond hair, green eyes that were hidden behind large glasses and a wearing a suit walked out, bags in hand and froze.

"What's going on?" he asked in a demanding voice. Jake and Michel, a man with red hair and dark green eyes glared at the man, forcing the bags to fall out of his hand. the eggs and milk that were inside splatered onto the concrete while the man said "Jake, Michel, what can I do for you?" The women looked at the man with teary eyes as Jake said "Hello Mr. Motojime. We were just trying to get Crystal's location out of the Misses. Maybe you can help us out instead."

"You know I would never tell you where my client is. If I did you would most likely kill her." Michel let out a chuckle and said "Well then, that's too bad. Hey Jake, wanna get it out the hard way?" the burly man cracked his knuckles loudly while the other two cringed in fear and said "Sound's like fun. lets." dirt from the ground floated up around his two fists while Mr. Motojime got in front of Mrs. Motojime. She took a step back as Jake brought his fist back and launched it foward. there was an impact sound as a metal wall appeared from the ground just as the dirt surrounded fist was about to hit the man's nose. Jake let out a shout of pain as Michel quickly looked around. The couple ran back into the store as Ed and Al walked out of the shadows behind a tree that was in the middle of the road. Ed smirked at them and said "It's a shame that Alchemists have to use their powers to mess with people."

"Hey, this is none of your buisness shorty." said Michel. Ed's face turned red with anger and Al started to say "Edward, calm down please! he didn't mean it."

"Like hell he didn't! i'm gonna kill him right here and now!" Edward yelled out in anger. Michel couldn't help but smirk himself and said "Hey tin suit, let him at me. I'll show him who's got the real power here!" Alphonse stood still, his hand on Ed's shoulder as he thought for a few seconds. finally he let go of his brother and said "Brother, try not to injure him to much. We don't want to get in trouble in this town." the blond brother nodded as the Jake took a few steps back until his back was digging into a window still near the door of the store. Al steped back until he was at the tree before Ed clapped his real and robotic hands together. Michel put on a pair of gloves with an alchemy circle on the back of both sides and he clapped his hands together as well. wind spiraled around him before it blasted Ed with a huracane force. Ed felt himself move a few inches in the dirt and slammed his palms onto the ground. A block of metal shot from the ground to shield him and the red haired man laughed. he brought his hands up into the air and said "You think that puny thing will protect you? try this on for size!" Michel threw his hand's down like they were on rotators and a blast of wind hit the metal shield. it crumbled away like a house in a tornado and Al gasped. However, once all the meltal was gone, so was Edward.

"Huh? where'd he go?" asked the red haired man.

"Up here old man!" came Ed's voice from above them. the group looked up and saw the alchemist's siluete against the high noon sun. Michel barley had anytime to form a sheild of wind before Ed came crashing down on him with a spear made out of metal. there was a loud clank upon impact and the young alchemist jumped back. he landed on the dirt road a few feet away and on one hand and feet. His free hand was holding the spear behind him, ready to attack. Michel formed the wind sheild into a spear himself and tossed it with a strong volocity. Ed tossed his as well then formed a shield around him. the spears missed each other and the wind one clanked onto the sheild in front of the oldest Elric brother. he stood up and clapped his hands while his spear was about to hit Michel's wind sheild. The spear suddenly split into several smaller versons of it self and went around the sheild. Michel screamed out in pain as the miniture spears hit his shoulders, forarms and legs. A few missed him compleatly and hit Jake in the ankles, causing him to yell out in pain as well. the sheilds disappeared and Ed walked over to Michel, Alphonse fallowing him.

"Hold still." said Ed, grabbing a metal spear that was sticking out of the man's shoulder. Michel closed his eyes as Ed gently tugged at it. the small spear disappeared in his hand before he did the same to the rest and removed the ones from Jake. the blond Elric brother then made a rod appear between his hands and tied it around Michel's hands like putty. they locked qucikly and he did the same to Jake before saying "Now, why don't you two go back to where you came from and stop harrasing these people." the two military men nodded rapidly and ran away from the Elrics as fast as they feet could carry and their hands tied up in front of them. Ed smiled as they ran and started laughing.

"oh boy, that was fun!" he said between laughs. Al just sighed and said "I'm just glad it's all over." the door chimed as the man from before and his wife walked out of the store, both with large grins on their faces.

"Thank you so much for saving us." said the women. "My name is Usagi and this is my husband Shuji."

"Hey, it was no trouble what so ever." said Ed, sounding a tinny bit bashful. The man walked up to Ed, shook his hand and said "What you did to day was amazing! was that alchemy?"

"Yeah, why?" Shuji quickly shook Al's hand as well and said "I'm a manger for a popular singer named Tiger Lilly and I need to ask you boys a favor." '_why do I have a bad feeling about this?_' Edward asked himself as the manager continued. "Would you boys be interested in being hired as body guards for Tiger Lilly?"

Preview: Miss Independent


	3. Miss Independent

**DISCLAIMER:** I am not going to do a disclaimer because everyone knows i don't own Full Metal Alchemist or any of the songs used in this fan fiction at all!

Legend of the Ice Alchemist  
Track 3: Miss Independent

Ed sighed loudly while he sat in a dark blue recliner chair, his arms crossed over his chest. Al just shook his head as Usagi offered him some fresh cookies and tapped his metal foot on the ground. The younger Elric brother watched his brother continue to sigh out of boredom and couldn't believe that Ed had agreed to be a pop star's body guard. What was the full metal alchemist thinking? A plywood door opened at the other end of the room that had carpet and air conditioning and Mr. Motojime walked inside. a young woman that was about 16 walked in behind and sat down on another blue recliner and crossed both of her arms and one leg over another. this girl had shoulder blade long brown hair that was the same shade Al's would be, bluish hazel eyes and an anoyed look on her face, showing that she didn't want to be there as much as the two Elric brothers. the manager sat down in another chair next to the girl and said "Boys, this is Crystal Saito."  
"Hello Miss Saito." Said Alphonse politely. the young girl looked over at the walking suit and just nodded. The room remained silent for a short amount of time, however it felt like an eternity until Mr. Motojime cleared his throat. His wife, Crystal and the Elrics turned to look at him while he coughed once again and said "Edward, Alphonse, Let me explain what's going on."

"It's about time." Ed murmured silently to himself, sounding annoyed. Crystal quickly turned to him, glared and pointed at the blond before snapping "Hey, I want to be here as much as you do shorty."

"Uh Oh." said Al as he watched his brother burn with anger. The blond Elric brother's face turned bright red as Crystal glared at her from her seat.

"Well," she said with a smirk while leaning back into her chair. "If he can't even control his anger, maybe this shrimp can't even be good in a fight. How do we know these two can even protect me anyway?"

"Because they protected me and Shuiji." said Usagi in a motherly tone. Ed suddenly felt the anger drain away at the women's words and he slouched down into his soft chair.

"Anyway, no one interupt me until I'm done." said the manager, pausing to see if anyone objected. Nobody did and he continued. "Okay, To be frank, Crystal here is in danger from the local Military."

"You mean Haden's group?" asked Al. Usagi Motojime nodded and her husband continued. "You see boys, She tried to defend someone from Jake and now she can be killed if she runs into them. However she has a country wide tour starting tomorrow and she needs some protection."

"So you asked us to do that job because you could see we're strong in a fight." said Ed, beaming at his skill. the manager nodded and said "We're willing to pay you. it's only for about 6 months, so once you're done you can continue on with what you are doing." Crystal let out a big sigh and stood up from her chair. she flipped her brown hair off her shoulder and said "I've got a rehearsal to go to. I'll see you later manager-san, manager-chan, boys." the music artist walked out of the room the same way she came in and slammed the door behind her. the rest of the group cringed at the sound and Alphonse said "Is she always that mean?"

"No dear." said Usagi with a sigh. "Crystal has always been pretty defensive when people try to protect her. She came to this town when she was about 10 years old, all alone and had no idea where she was or who she was for that mater. She is in fact, a very nice girl."

"Yes, her hostility towards you is her way of trying to get you to not take the job so that you two wont be in danger."

"Wow." was all the younger Elric brother could say.

"Yeah." said Ed with a nod. He was silent for a minute before he uncrossed his arms and said "So, how much do we get paid?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The Ramsville jail was basically a steel box divided into smaller boxed with arm thick metal rods. In the only spot that was not metal, a sheriff sat asleep with his feet on his desk and his rolling padded chair was on it's back legs. His cowboy hat was over his face and sounds that resembled snoring came from underneath. all of the prisoners, which was a total of three, sat on a bench inside their individual cells. Jake and Michel sat in the same cell, their hands tied in front of them with metal rods tied around their wrists like a pretzel. Neither of them could believe that they were there. As soon as that short boy with blond hair had stopped talking to Tiger Lilly's manager, him and that tin suit marched them here where they were to wait out their trial. there was a slam as the door flew open to the Jail and a short man in a white military uniform walked in, an angry look across his face. The man had black hair and dark green eyes that showed deep  
anger for no reason. This man walked up to the sleeping sherif, slapped his boots off the table and waited as the cowboy was startled awake.

"Huh, what?" he said in surprise. As soon as he saw who the visiter was, he stood up, saluted and said

"Commander Haden, Sir! What can i do for you Sir?!"

"At ease." said the short man in a gruff voice. The sherif did so and the commander said "I'm just here to pick up my officers. I'm assuming there's no problem." the young sherrif just shook his head as he quickly fumbled for his keys. as soon as he located the right one, the two marched over to the cell and unlocked it. The sherrif stood to the side as Jake and Michel walked out and presented their tied hands to their superior officer. Haden just sighed and snapped his fingers. Dead leaves from the dirt ground of the jail floated up into the air as if pulled by strings and swirled around the men's metal bonds. There was a sound that was like metal hitting metal as suddenly the metal pretzels fell to the floor. Jake and Michel started rubbing their sore wrists as Haden turned around sharply and said "Lets go." the other men followed in single file as the sheriff and the other prisoner, a young man with bloodshot eyes and ratty clothes watched as the door  
slammed shut. Once outside, the three men walked up to a jet black limousine. they crawled inside and while the vehicle started to move forward, the commander glared at the other men while he rested his forearms on his knees.

"Okay guys," he said with venom. "What happened? I thought you two were supposed to get Crystal's location so we can take her into custody."

"Well, we tried." said Jake apologetically. "But then something happened."

"_What_ could have happened?"

"You see sir, we almost had Tiger Lilly's location when these two alchemists showed up. They defended the manager and his wife while we got the crap beat out of us."

"Alchemist?" asked Haden a with surprised look on his face. "Did you recognize their uniforms?"

"They weren't wearing uniforms. One of them was short and was wearing a red coat while the other was in a tall metal suit." the short man looked out the window as he made a "hmm-mm" sound and thought. After a few minutes of silence and a sharp turn, the comander turned to his generals and said "Those two might have been her new body guards in normal clothes. Which means that they plan on going ahead with the tour."

"What do you want us to do sir?" asked Michel.

"I want you to fallow them as soon as they leave. When you get Crystal alone, slit her throat."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

PREVIEW: track 4- Rollin' down the highway.


	4. Rollin' Down The Highway

Legend Of The Ice Alchemist  
Track 4: Rollin' Down The Highway

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** I don't own the song, larger than life, which is by Backstreet boys.

"C'mon, let's go!" called a tall young man with flamming red hair with orange hilights as he leaned out of a wide bus's folding doors. Crystal smiled and waved before she turned around and said "Well, you heard Koshu . Hurry it up you two." Ed and Al both grunted as they fallowed the pop star, carring various pieces of luggage and equiptment. They tossed the objects they were carring into the back of the bus Koshu was leaning out of and Ed said "When did we become pack mules?" Alphonse said nothing while they walked to the front of the bus.

"Not there sillys!" said a young woman with her blond hair cascading down to the small of her back and blue eyes as she leaned out of the bus as Koshu did. "You two are ridding with Crystal in the other bus."

"Other bus?" asked the talking tin suit. the blond woman nodded. "Yep. She and the manager get their own bus because this one is to small. It's over there." while the blond girl pointed towards the front of the bus, someone from inside shouted "Fukai! Close the door!" the blond closed the doors in front of her as Ed and Al looked at the road in front of them. A few feet away from the small bus, another one rested on the pavement. It was not the same silver color, but rather black with the words "_TIGER LILLY'S WORLD TOUR!_" in round loopy pink letters was scrawled across the sides, back, and front. Ed sighed as they walked to the doors of the bus. The driver, a mature round man with silver hair and half rimmed glasses smiled at them as he opened the door for them. The inside was the same pink as the painted letters and completely funished. Dark pink carpet was layed on the ground while a series of bunks were welded to the wall in the back. In the front was several comfertable looking chairs and a small kitchen with a mircrowave and cooking range. Crystal sat in one of the chairs next to her manager, her head back and her eyes closed. The bus started to move forward, joiting the standing Elrics in suprise. Edward quickly grabbed the seat next to the pop singer while Alphonse sat down at his feet, perfectly comfertable. Mr. Motojime smiled at the boys before he said "Okay guys. We're going to first stop by the closest city to Ramsville, Saharia. I did my research for this trip and I learned that this city is pretty safe except for some gansters, but we won't go near those areas."

"Yeah, it's safe for everyone except alchemists." said Ed plainly. the manager paled while the blond brother continuned. "Al and I have been there once. It was not that much fun for us."

"But I'm sure Crystal will be welcomed greatly." said Al, trying to calm down the manager who was quickly turning from white to a slight shade of green. Both Elric brothers thought this was weird for him to do, but they didn't question it. He knew more about the pop star than they did. The bus rolled over a hole in the paved road, joslting the group up a few feet. they all landed back on the floor of the bus with a grunt and Al said to Crystal "So, what are your songs like?" she didn't even open her eyes to look at him. Alphonse tried again but only got the same reaction. Ed sighed and shouted "Hey, he's talking to you Miss perfect!" she continued to ignore them for a few more minutes before Mr. Motojime realized why she wasn't answering. He stood up from his comfertable seat and leaned over her. He tapped her on the shoulder and her hazel eyes flew open. She brought her hands to her ears and pulled out two listining devices from them.

"Yes?" she asked, not mad or snotty. Ed's face turned red as he bit his lip to keep from yelling again. The manager smiled at her and said "Tuned out again?"

"Yeah, you know I find road trips boring."

"Well, Alphonse here asked you a question and we were wondering what was going on."

"Oh!" she looked over at the walking suit that sat at his brother's chair and said "I'm sorry Al. what was the question?"

* * *

Haden knew that Crystal was gone from Ramsville almost immedately after the two buses left the small town. He called Jake and Michel from their hidding places as he stood on a bolder next to the town's sign, his head blocking the last number of the population.

"Jake, Michel, report now."

"Yes sir?" said the two in unison, staning at full attention. the leader of the military branch crossed his arms behind his back and said "Tiger Lilly has just left for her tour. You two know what to do."

"Yes sir." the two bumbling sidekicks said in unison once again. they quickly turned around and ran into the town to get their nessassary suplies. Haden couldn't help but smile as his thoughts of revenge filled his mind for the umtenth time that day.

* * *

The crowd boomed with happiness as the lights zoomed in to the center of the stage. The musicians who were already on stage started to play an opening to a song as Crystal put a headset microphone on top of her head over her styled brown hair. She took a couple of deep breaths through her nose while Ed and Al watched the crowd. It seemed to be pulsinvg with excitement and energy as the people waited for the pop star. Ed let out a sigh and said "Al, I don't like this."

"What brother?" asked the walking suit, slightly confused. To him, this excitement was thrilling. Edward looked over at Crystal, who was taking a quick sip of water and said "Don't you think their's to many people here?"

"Possibly. But she _is_ popular." Cystal walked up to the boys with a nervious smile and said "Eddie, you're to paranoid."  
"Eddie?"

"Yeah. Gita came up with it. I thinks it's kinda cute. Anyway, if you don't like this, you are welcome to walk out and look around. But be back by the end of the show."

"You sure?" Crystal gave the shorter boy a wink and said "Yeah. I'm on edge to honestly. At least you get a break. Well, gotta get on stage." she took a few steps until she was at the edge of the curtain on the stage and nodded to Koshu, the drummer. He nodded in response and started tapping out a beat. Once the others started playing, Cystal started to sing into the microphone while still hidden.

"_Wow wow wowwow wow wow wowow._"

She raised her hands over her head and bent over. In movements that flowed to gether smoothly, she planted her hands on the floor and did a flip. She flip a few more times until she was in the spotlight and started singing.

"_I may run and hide  
When you're screamin' my name, alright  
But let me tell you now  
There are prices to fame, alright  
All of our time spent in flashes of light_"

"Wow. She IS good." commented Alphonse as the chorus of the song started up. Ed crossed his arms around his chest in anciousness for a minute before he said "Al, I'm going to walk around." the sounds of the fans filled the silence as the walking tin suit nodded and the blond Elric brother walked down the steps of the stage. He quickly mingled with the crowd on the edge of the outdoor stadium that Tiger Lilly was preforming at. He kept his eye on the people who were cheering loudly, screaming out Tiger Lilly's name in their fan voices.

"_Looking at the crowd  
And I see your body swing, c'mon  
Wishin' I could thank you in a different way, c'mon  
'Cause all of your time spent keeps us alive_"

As soon as Edward reached the end of the crowd, he let out a sigh and leaned against the fence. He leaned his head back and looked up at the stars sparkling in the navy sky. There was a crunch sound behind the fence and the blond Elric brother whipped around so fast that he was a blur. He coudn't see anything in the dark trees that surrounded the city. His eyes searched the darkness until they spotted something white and tan. Ed jumped over the fence and ran to the spot where the strange colors were standing. The white object was a military jacket and the tan was a large box with red letters on the side saying "WARNING: DANGERIOUS ANIMAL INSIDE." Ed looked back at the crowd and quickly spotted what he was looking for. He jumped over the fence once again and sprinted through the crowd at the edge of the fence. He noticed that Cystal spotted him but continued singing her song like it was nothing.

_"All you people can't you see, can't you see  
How your love's affecting our reality  
Every time we're down  
You can make it right  
And that makes you larger than life  
All you people can't you see, can't you see  
How your love's affecting our reality  
Every time we're down  
You can make it right  
And that makes you larger than life"_

Ed reached the stage's lip before Jake did and ran up the stairs to the front. Crystal eyed him suspiciously while he ran to the cutrain and behind it. Al looked at him suprised and said "Brother, what's wrong?"  
"Remember Jake? Well, he fallowed us." anwered Ed, taking large gulps of air. Suddenly there was a small booming sound and smoke filted to the area behind the stage.  


* * *

_Next Track: Welcome To my Life_


	5. Welcome To My Life

Legend Of The Ice Alchemist  
Track 5: Welcome To My Life

The two Elric brothers shot from backstage, adrenaline pulsing through their veins as smoke filled their lungs. They could hear Crystal caughing into her micorphone as shouts of suprise and fear filtered in through the audience.

"Crys!" called Gita, the gutarist and a yong woman with black hair tied into a bun held with chopsticks. "Where are you?"

"I'm here!" shouted the pop star as Ed and Al bumped into her. Ed clapped his hands together and his metal arm morphed into a thick knife point. Crystal let out a gasp as Al stood in front of her and the blond brother crouched to the ground. a growl shot from the base of the stage and Crystal wimpered in fear. A large lion with two tails swishing behind it jumped up and lunged at Edward. He fell to his back with a thump and used his metalic arm to keep that large cat from bitting his face off. The lion hissed when he realized it could not bight through the silver arm and jumped off of Edward. He in turn jumped up and grabbed it's hind legs while Al raised his arms outward. The lion turned to attack Ed again who grinned and got to his knees from the lying postion he was in. The lion roared with annoyance as it was lifted into the air. With a loud thump and the sound of cracking wood from the stage, the two fell backwards. Ed crawled out from under the stunned cat and clapped his hands together again. the fence around the audeance shuttered violently before chunks of it floated into the air. the metal swirled around the group before it was just above the two tailed Lion. It plumited downwards, glowing with white light just before it hit the lage cat. Crystal and the crowd let out a gasp as the light intensified. Ed smirked as he tapped the top of the cage he created and said "Not so tough now are you Kitty?"

"Wow. Brother, i had no idea you could that." said Alphonse in amazement. the blond Elric brother's smile grew as Mr. Motojime ran onto the stage. He grabbed Crystal around the shoulders before spinning her to face him. He looked into her frightened hazel eyes and said "Are you all right Tiger Lilly?" the sixteen year old was silent for a minute, looking down at her expensive high heals before answering.

"I'm okay." she tried to say quietly but the microphone amplified the answer. A relieved sigh rippled through the audience and the manager shook his head.

"Didn't I warn you to be careful?"

"I was. Ed was walking around when he saw it and he protected me." Ed cleared his throat and walked away from the cage as the lion roared once again.

"Excuse me Mr. Motojime," he said, looking up at the man. "That lion was not random. It was Jake and Michel again."

"Are you sure Edward?"

"Very. outside the fence i found a box and their coats." Mr. Motojime's grip on Crystal tightened as he turned his head around. Two men dressed in security garb stood behind Koshu and his drumset.

"Security, check it out." he ordered in a voice the Elrics were not used to, demanding and authoritive. the two men nodded and ran off the stage while the manager turned back to Crystal, who remained quiet.

"Tiger Lilly, do you think you can continue on with the concert, or do you just want to go to the hotel?"

"I can finish. Don't worry Shuiji." Crystal smiled at her manager, who nodded and let go of her before walking back off the stage. The pop star turned to look at the Elric brothers before she said "Thank you for  
saving me boys. But now, The show must go on!" a booming cheer erupted from the crowd in anticipation while Al whispered "are you sure?"

"yes yes. now get off the stage. I'll see you after the show." Crystal answered back, covering the microphone with her hand so she wouldn't be heard. Ed grabbed his metalic brother's hand and dragged him off the stage before he could complain anymore. the pop star raised her hands into the air and said "Okay audience, what do you want to hear next!"

* * *

The hotel the group stayed at was small and was reminiscent of the ancient japanese dojo homes. Crystal held her hair up on her head to make a poofy look as she and the group walked down the hall. Their feet padded softly against the hard wood floor and Fukai let out a happy sigh.

"That was so much fun!"

"Yeah, except when the lion attacked Crystal." said a 20 year old guy with his golden brown hair covering his dark chocolate eyes slightly. The blond basest laughed nervously before she said "You are such a pessimist Dashin."

"Would you two knock it off and help find our rooms!" Gita commanded, annoyance in her voice.

"Yeah, I would love some sleep!" said Koshu, his hands resting on his head as they walked. Fukai and Dashin both sighed in defeat and started to look around as Crystal turned a corner a few feet ahead of them. While this scene happened, Ed and Al just watched with a board look on the blond brother's face.

"Are you always this loud?" he asked as soon as they turned the corner. Alphonse whacked him on the head lightly and said "Brother, that was not very."

"Nice schmice. THey could have woken up the other guests."

"Actually, we're the only ones here today." said Motojime, who was walking behind them. "The band only stays in fairly deserted places for the nights so nothing like the poperattizzi finds outs." Ed jammed his  
hands into his pants pockets as the large group continued down the old hallway until Fukai shouted "Found them!" the group froze behind her as she pointed to the door, labeled Rm # 37. Mr. Motojime pulled out a large handful of white credit cards with a black stripe on one side and checked the numbers.

"Okay," he said, holding one of the cards with 37 on it in the air. "All of our rooms are in this hallway. I will be staying in this room while Koshu and Dashin stay in room 39, Ed and Al in room 35, Gita and Fukai in room 38 and Crystal in 40. Ice machine is down the hall to the right and breakfast is at 8:00am." the manager started to pass out the cards while the band members took them silently. Crystal took hers and walked over to the door farthest from the group. She opened it with a electric click and walked inside without a single word.

"She must be tired." said Koshu, unlocking his and Dashin's with another click. The others did the same and walked into their rooms, which were as big as the inside of the buses. Each one of them held two beds, a bathroom, a kitchen area and a small TV standing on a stand that resembled a TV tray.

The darkness of the hotel freaked Alphonse out completely. Not that he was afraid of the dark or anything, it was just that after the lion incident he was constantly on edge for the rest of the night and every shadow was a creature of some sort. His footsteps clanked loudly in the silence as he tried to find the ice machine. a noise in front of him made the walking suit drop his small plastic bucket on the ground and freeze in mid-step. a figure caring a large bag of something walked down the hall from the other way, freezing just as he had.

"W-w-ho's th-h-ere?" said Al shakily. it has been forever since he has felt this feeling.

"Alphonse? what are you doing?" asked Crystal, walking into the walking suit's line line of sight. Al relaxied before he said "I was getting some ice for brother."

"I see." she said with a soft smile. "You walked right passed it. fallow me." Crystal grabbed his arm with her free hand and lead him back down the dark hall. After a few minutes they came up to a large metal box that rumbled with life. The pop star opened the lid and pointed down inside it. Al scooped up the ice he needed and she closed the lid back again. Crystal smiled softly again before she said "Um, I was wondering Al,  
would you mind helping me into my room? I cant get my key card while holding these groceries." Al only nodded, feeling slightly embarissed. She had never asked for his help before, or even smiled at him like she did. The two walked back to room #40 quietly and the walking suit took her two bags. Crystal pulled her key card from her jeans' pocket and slid it into the lock. There was a click and she turned the knob. The pop star flicked a switch and the room was illumanated softly by the light near the door. Crystal walked into her room, fallowed by Alphonse who put the paper bags on the counter of the kitchen set.

"What's all this stuff for?" he asked, eyeing the food.

"I have breakfast duity tomorrow." said Crystal simply. "Every morning, we each take a turn making breakfast so one person doesn't have to do everything."

"Everyone else must get pretty hungry huh?" Crystal started to put away the food in her fridge with a nod.

"I also was getting a bit hungry so I broght a snack. Would you like something?"

"Um...no thanks." The pop star shrugged her shoulders and pulled out a red apple and a jar of peanut butter. She grabbed a sharp knife from a drawer and started to cut the fruit. Al went to leave the room, however his metal head clanked on the low hanging lamp and it fell off.

"Aw man!" he said, going for his head. Crystal turned around, saying "What's wrong-?" She let out a yelp and screamed "Your head!" Alphonse calmly snapped it back on like this happened every day and said "Yeah, that'll happen sometimes when you're just a suit."

"You mean..." started Crystal, turning back to her apple. "there's not a body inside?"

"Nope. You see Crystal, there was an accident when I was about 10." Cyrstal didn't turn around but nodded. "What happened?"

"Are you sure you want to know? it's pretty bad."

"Go ahead and tell me. I want to know why you're a talking suit."

"Okay. Well, when I was nine, Edward and I lost everyone in our family. our sister Lilly and our mother. Brother wanted to bring them back, so we started to study alchemy. But Because we didn't fully understand the laws of equal exchange that well, when we tried to bring mother back to life, there was an…accident."

"Accident? What happened?" Crystal turned form the counter, her red apple cut into eight chunks. She sat down at the counter across from Alphonse as he continued on with his story.

"Yes. You see, we didn't bring back mother fully. And then, due to the law, brother lost an arm and a leg and I lost my body. Luckily, there was a suit nearby and brother attached my soul to it. Now we are searching for the philosopher's stone to get our bodies back."

"the stone? Isn't that the rare stone that Nickolas Flamell came up with so the laws of equal exchange could be ignored?" Al nodded and Crystal munched loudly in the room. She swallowed just as loudly and said "um…can I ask you something?"

"Sure. What is it Crystal ?"

"Can I see the mark Edward made on the suit? "

"Why?" asked Al, surprised. That was the weirdest request he had ever heard.

"I'm interested in alchemy circles and I was just wondering what the one to attach souls looked like." The walking suit thought for a minute while the pop star continued eating her apple.

"Okay, but don't touch it." He said, taking off his head again. His body gently placed it on the counter while Crystal , nervously, stood up. She peered into the hollow body of Alphonse Elric and gazed at the unique circle drawn in blood on the inside shoulder. She was silent for a minute, just looking before she said "it's so faded!"

"Well, it was done four or five years ago and blood tends to fade after so many years."Crystal remained silent as she walked away, taking her plate of apple pieces and putting it in the small refrigerator she had in her hotel room. Al's head watched her, still on the table while she started to clean up her mess.

"Are you okay Crystal ?" he asked, worry deep in his voice. Crystal still didn't say anything

until she tossed the remnants of the apple core in the garbage can.

"Yeah, it's just kinda…sad, you know? I mean, as soon as that circle is gone, you are dead."

"True, but i never thought of that." Al confessed. Crystal just nodded quietly as she reached grab something.  
"OW!" she yelped, pulling her hand back from the blade she just grabbed. Blood pooled quickly to her fingertip as she turned on the sink and Al jumped up.

"hold on Al." she said, rinsing the blood off. after a couple of seconds, she removed her finger from the running water and turned it off. Her finger continued to bleed as she looked at the suit. she looked at both him and her finger for a minute before she walked towards him and said "Al, hold still please."

"What are you doing?" he asked, nerviousness in his voice.

"fixing the circle." Crystal leaned inside the hollow body of the suit and started to retrace the alchemy circle with her bloody finger. as soon as she was done, it glowed with ivory light and she stood back up. the pop star went back to the sink and held her hand under the water as she said "you're lucky that you have memories, even though they are bad or sad. I don't remember anything from about three years ago. That's why i redid your alchemy circle- - I don't want Ed to loose you like I lost my memories." Alphonse just remained silent and watched her as Crystal strapped a bandaid on her finger. She smiled softly and said "Well then, maybe you should get the ice to Ed before it melts compleatly." Al's body jumped from his chair and his hands grabbed the helmet for the suit. He locked his head back on and grabbed the plastic bucket from the counter. He realized half of the ice was melted and he sighed. Crystal giggled to herself as she pulled out a simular bucket from under the sink and said "C'mon. lets get some more."

* * *

**_Next Track: Blackhole_**


	6. Black hole

AUTHOR'S NOTE: i don't own the song "Black hole." it belongs to Lindsay Lohan.

Legend Of The Ice Alchemist

Track 6: Black hole

_"I found a box of letters Lying on the ground  
The ones you used to write me before it all went down  
I even got a paper cut trying to figure out  
what to do With all those memories  
And your not who you used to be  
and i wonder where your gone _

Have you fallen in a black hole  
Tumbling as a universe of missing stuff  
What happened to the good times  
What happened to the moments where we had so much  
Where's the love? where's the love?

_Remember all those hours laughing on the floor  
Those days ain't doing nothing fell like nothing did before  
I dont need those stickers or that money after all  
Ill trade them for old message you've called  
Cuz its not how we used to feel  
And i wonder what went wrong _

_Have you fallen in a black hole  
Tumbling as a universe of missing stuff  
What happened to the good times  
What happened to the moments where we have felt so much  
Where's the love  
I wanna go there, and i wanna know where  
Everything i meant something to me is all _

_I found a box of letters, used to make me smile  
But now feel so lonely  
Have you fallen in a black hole  
Tumbled as a universe of missing stuff  
What happened to the good times  
What happened to the moments where had so much  
A black hole  
Tumbling as a universe of missing stuff  
What happened to the good times  
What happened to the moments where we had so much  
Where's the love Where's the love  
__Where's the love Where's the love Where's the love _

_As we're falling in a black hole  
as we're falling in a black hole  
as we're falling in a black hole..."_

The crowd cheered wildly as Tiger Lilly took her bow. When she stood back up her hair made an arc as it flipped to it's proper place while the audience cheered more. the sounds reverberated of the giant metal dish that was welded to the cold metal stage that stood outside in a huge park in a city completely built of skyscrapers.

"Thanks everyone!" she said into her hand held microphone. "You have been a great audience and I would love to sing more, but we have to continue on with our tour. If you wish to have me come again, send a letter to my manager, Mr. Motojime!" Ed and Al watched quietly from behind the stage's dish as the crowd boomed again and Tiger Lilly walked off the stage. The blond Elric brother kept his arms crossed over his chest as she passed them and he said "That crowd was really energetic."

"Yes, they were." said Crystal coldly, walking towards the bus. Al just watched them silently as he mentally shivered. This Crystal was different than the one who he helped at the hotel last night. He couldn't figure out what happened as Crystal walked back, changed from her tube top and jeans to a tee-shirt, old pants and tennis shoes. she pulled up her brown hair into a ponytail and went back around the dish. The crowd didn't seem to notice her as she picked up her mic stand and her band start picking up their instruments. Fukai, Gita, Koshu and Dashin all handed their instruments to the two Elric brothers who took it to the faded tan-yellow tour bus. Once everyone was done loading, they climbed onto their appropriate buses and they left the town made of skyscrapers.

"So, what's the next town?" asked Crystal as she lounged her pink comfortable chair. Mr. Motojime pulled an overly folded piece of white paper and scanned it with his eyes momentarily. This was a custom the two have gotten into. Crystal would ask where they were going, Motojime would look at the list he wrote down back in Ramsville and tell everyone so the Elrics could prepare them in case something bad might happen in that particular city. As soon as he found the correct name on their tour, he put the paper back in his pocket and said "The next stop is Kantori. Boys, have you ever been there?" Ed yawned from his chair and said "Nope."

"Then I want you two to be on your guard." said the manager, getting into his professional mode the blond Elric brother remained silent and looked out the window while Alphonse said "No problem." Motojime nodded before he turned to Crystal once again, pulling out another sheet of paper from his blazer pocket. "Crystal, since it's such a long way until the next town, You have plenty of time to work on your homework."

"What?!" she said, bolting from her lounging positron on her chair to one more alert. "But I haven't-"

"no buts young lady" the manager handed her the paper with a fatherly look and she groaned. She slumped back into her chair as she reached for a pencil and Edward said "Homework? you have her go to school? Al and I don't even go!"

"Oh, she doesn't go either. I home school her. Usagi and I both believe that everyone should have a change at a good education. Crystal may have lost her memory, but that doesn't give her an excuse."

"She lost her memory?" Crystal froze, her search for something hard to write on stopping in the process while Al cringed from the inside.

"Didn't I tell you two? Back a few years ago, she was found wandering into Ramsville, not knowing who she was or what happened. The only thing she knew was her age and an Id on her that said "Crystal." Usagi and I took her in and were where we are today."

"Hmm." said Ed silently to himself. "maybe there's more to this and the Haden problem than we thought." Crystal nimbly stood up from her chair, a white binder and her homework in her hands while she said "I'm going into my room to work. Don't anybody bother me until I'm done." she marched to the back of the bus where three small rooms with doors were hidden and she walked into the one in the center. She slammed the door withe a cringe from the others before Al said "She seems really sensitive about it."

"She is." said Motojime, still in his fatherly tone. "She is."

* * *

"Haden sir!" said Jake into a small hand held device with a speaker and a receiver. The device resembled an old fashion cell phone from the late 80's with a long antenna shooting out of the top and buttons on the inside, however the bottom was detached and on the ground while the top was split into two, one half in Jake's ear, the other in Michel's. There was some static in their ears before the general answered

"What is it Jake? do you know what time it is?" the two lackeys checked their watches in the darkness of the field they were in and Michel said "it's around 3:30 am sir."

"Exactly! this had better be important." "Well sir," started Jake. "The lion trick didn't work. but we've been tailing them from then and they just stopped at a hotel in Kantori."

"Kantori?" "Yes sir." there was silence in the receiver for a moment before Haden said "I want you to go  
to Tokichigai Neko town and contact General Hues. The town should be a few miles west of Kantori. Tell Hues that I sent you and to prepare project KAT for Tiger Lilly. Is that understood?"

"Understood." said both Jake and Michel in unison.

"Good." there was a click as Haden broke the connection. Jake pressed a red button that was placed right next to button number nine and let go of his listening half. Michel dropped his and the two halves snapped together before they landed on the dirt ground. Jake held the button portion out and the receiver as well as the listening half came together with two more satisfying snaps. Jake jammed the device into his white military coat and then checked his watch.

"Well," he said, lowering his wrist. "We should get going?"

"Can we get coffee first?" asked Michel, stretching out his arms behind his back. "If I'm going to be driving than I'd sure could use the caffeine." Michel added a loud yawn for good measure and Jake sighed. He pulled out a black trifold wallet, counted the pieces of green paper in it and said "Okay, but we're gonna have to go dutch. I'm almost out of cash after going to Burrito Gong last night."

* * *

Kantori was a strange town for the traveling pop star and her body guards. Most of the town was composed of short squat red buildings and a large red bricked school stood as it's capital building. As the bus rolled on through the town, Crystal handed Mr. Motojime her homework and said "Are we having a concert right after we check into the hotel?"

"Yes we are." He answered, yawning and stretching from his chair while he tried to wake up from his nap. Ed was still asleep next to the window while Alphonse looked out another window on the other side. Crystal nodded to herself and said "Then I'll get ready."

"All right. When we get to the hotel, just stay here in the bus so we don't attract to much attention."

"Will do!" Crystal walked back to her room quietly while the bus rolled to a stop in front of another building that resembled a school building.  
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The crowd still cheered as they were ushered out of the arena area that Tiger Lilly had just preformed at. Crystal chugged a bottle of water down passed her parched lips and took a deep breath.

"That crowd was wild tonight!" she said with excitement. Koshu whipped sweat from his brow  
and said "No kidding. I can't believe we played an encore for two more hours. I feel like my arms are going to fall off."

"Oh, you're being a big baby." said Fukai, using a Chinese accent. The others giggled to themselves as Koshu's face turned red.

"I am not. you're the basest so you don't use your arms as much. I have to have a ton of stamina just to play one concert!" Everyone started laughing again as they rested against an old brick wall. Dashin checked his watch in the provided light of a street lamp and said "It's getting late. We should get back to the hotel."

"Dashin's right. We'll need our sleep for the next concert." said Gita, checking her own watch. the group started down the dark and eerie street walking in couples except for Crystal, who walked by herself in the middle of the group. They remained silent, their footsteps the only sound on the lonely street. The hotel was close enough for the pop star and her friends to walk to and from the arena, however with the streetlights few and far apart, everyone almost jumped at every slight sound or movement. Edward kept his hands close together in case he needed to transmutate something and Al fingered a small piece of white chalk her carried between two fingers. Suddenly there was another sound coming towards them. Dashin and Koshu, who were in the front, froze, stopping the parade of musicians while the alchemists jumped in front of them. the new sound was footsteps, soft and gentle, and the woman making the sounds was beautiful and pale. Her feet didn't seem to touch the ground as she walked towards the group. Al relaxed but Ed kept up his fighting pose.

"Something is not right." he whispered to his brother.

"Are you sure?" asked Al quietly. Crystal grabbed Gita's arm from behind as the woman stopped her graceful walk. And then she was gone.

* * *

Next Track: _7-Haunted_. I hope everyone is enjoying this story. I plan on making this my  
longest yet, with a plan of about 30 chapters. and don't worry...things will get more interesting,  
i promise.


	7. Haunted

Legend Of The Ice Alchemist  
Track 7: Haunted

Crystal slammed her bedroom door shut and rested against it. She took fast shallow breaths and sweat beaded down her face, ruining her makeup but she didn't care. Her face was pale and her feet were bare. As soon as that beautiful woman disappeared into thin air, Lilly kicked off her highheals and ran for it. She know that the others fallowed suit, and none of the girls gave a rats where their shoes landed. Crystal rested her hand gently on her heart as it beated like a humming bird's while she hummed to herself. Her body slowly relaxed while her mind calmed and she removed her hand. She moved away from the door as there was a knock, making her jump.

"Crystal? Are you okay?" asked Dashin from the other side. Crystal let out the breath of air she took in sharply and opened the door. Dashin was in a simular state as her, minus the paleness of his face. He let a crooked smile cross his face and said "I didn't know you could run so fast."

"Only when I need to." she answered, giving a soft smile of her own. "Do you want to come in?"

"If that's okay." Crystal stepped aside and closed the door after him. the percussionist of the band sat down at the small round table next to the hotel room's large window while the pop star walked into the kitchen. She pulled out two cans of soda with red lables from the squat refridgerator and tossed one. Dashin caught it with one hand and popped it open with a satisfying hiss.

"Is Koshu and the other's okay?" Crystal asked after she sat down across from him.

"Koshu and ther body guards are. They went to check on Gita and Fukai. Motojime is talking with the inkeeper right now to see what the hell it was we saw." Crystal opened her can with another hiss and took a long sip. She looked out the window into the darkness of the streets, her eyes catching the small amounts of light generated from the few streetlamps and said "On the way here, I did some research on this place after my homework."

"What did you find?" asked Dashin, remotely interested.

"I found that locals belive that this hotel and the street is haunted by it's first inkeeper." Dashin let out a dry laugh and said "Haunted? Is that what you think is what we saw? a ghost?"

"I don't know." a sharp gust of wind shook the window, creating an errie rumble sound and the two bandmates jumped from their seats. The two took a few steps back as another gust of wind hit the window, shattering it.

* * *

Ed and Al heard it from Gita's room. Crystal and Dashin screaming in horror. The two of them plus Gita stood up and ran to her hotel room's door. Ed nealy ripped it off it's hindges as he flung it open and leaned out into the hallway. He saw Koshu and Fukai do the same directly across from him as the door down the hall rattled loudly.

"That's Crystal's room!" said Gita, bitting her fingernails.

"Brother..." said Al but Ed was already moving.

"Gita, Fukai, Koshu, stay there." Ed ordered, clapping his hands together. he slid his human arm over his metal one, turning it into the sharp knife point with a bright ivory light. he grabbed the door's knob with his other hand and repeated the same opening as he did with Gita's door. there was a crack as it hit the oposite wall and both Elrics gasped out loud. The large window directly from the opening was shattered, broken glass sprinkling the gray carpet and lage jagged pieces of it still stuck to the frame. A few drops of red blood splatered the carpet a few feet away and a piece of denim clung to a piece of window still int the frame.

"Crystal!" called Al, stepping into the room first. "Dashin!"

"They're not here." said Ed, morphing his arm back into his arm. "What happened?" Edward picke dup a piece of glass with his metal hand and examened it. a splatch of red was on the tip, showing that it had cut someone. Hasty footsteps echoed down the hallway and Mr. Motojime ran into the room, sweat createing large blobs on his dress shirt. He looked around the room quietly before he said "Damn!"

"Motojime," asked Koshu as him and the other bandmates walked in the room. they all saw the condition of the room and gasped. "What happened?"

"Where's Crystal?" asked Fukai.

"And Dashin?" asked Gita.

"Gone." said a woman's voice from behind. The group turned around and looked down to see the short old inkeeper. She was about three, maybe four feet tall with worn leatherly skin and snow white hair piled onto the top of her head. "Those two are gone, just like the others."

"Others?" asked Edward, resting his hands on his hips, a trick he learned from Crystal. "what others? Are you going senile lady?" she jumped up into the air and whacked him hard on the head before she said "Your singer and percussionist are not the first to be taken by Nalissa."

"Nalissa?" asked Alphonse. The old woman sighed with annoyance and said "Let me explain this in simple terms since you are new to Kantori. Fallow me." The group fallowed the old woman down the now silent hallway and into a large room with a squat japanese style table in the center. The old woman sat on a pillow at the head while the others walked in and sat down as well. Motojime sat down next to the inkeeper, not saying a word and in depressed mode as the old woman said "Two hundred years ago, this inn used to be a school building in a small village. The teacher, who was named Nalissa was as beautiful as the sunset and as sweet as your mother's homemade apple pie. One day she fell in love with a young man named Daniel, who was traveling though the village with a group of muscians. He seemed to love her for some time, until the musicians let a young woman join. She was just as pretty as Nalissa with a voice of a song bird. Daniel's heart quickly fell for  
this new girl and when the group left, Nalissa was left alone. In her sorrow and anger she decided to kill the singer and get Daniel back. However she accidently killed her lover as well and commited suicide."

"What doest this have to do with Crystal and Dashin being kidnapped?" asked Koshu. The woman jumped over the table and whacked him on the head similar to Ed before she landed back on her pink pillow.

"Let me finish youngster. Nalissa's soul didn't go to heaven, hell, or even limbo. instead, she has been here all of this time, in the form of a travels along the road nearby and through this inn to find someone to replace Daniel for her in the afterlife, and will kill any singers that come though Kantori. That is why I warned Mr. Motojime to never leave her alone and always have a bodyguard around her." Motojime looked down at his hands, worry clearly on his face.

"I thought..." he started, his voice cracking slightly. "I thought she would be okay. I didn't believe that story anyway." The old woman took a turn at whacking the manager on his head and said "every story you hear in this country is REAL."

"So what are we going to do then?" asked Fukai, flipping her blond hair over her shoulder. Everyone remained silent and thought as the inkeeper said "Whenever Nalissa kidnapps someone, she takes them to the lake outside of town. There she will drown them at sunrise." Gita checked her watch and said "It's almost one o'clock." Edward slammed his metal palm on the table, nearly breaking it and stood up.

"Old lady, where's the lake?" he asked, looking at the door while talking.  
"Are you seriously thinking of going to save them? there is nothing you can do." said the old woman. Ed didn't say anything, creating a silence from everyone. After a moment the woman sighed roughly.

"It's south of town. Take Bleeker road until you reach the large tree. Then just fallow the dirt path until you reach the water."

"Thank you. Al, are you comming with me?" The large suit stood up and said "of course brother."

"We're comming to." said Koshu, standing up. Edward looked at him with a sharp glare, forcing the drummer to sit down before they walked out of the door.

* * *

"Welcome Jake, Michel! what news do I have from Haden today?" asked a general in a red military uniform with black accents. He was tall and round, with a handlebar mustasch and blond hair with traces of gray. His office was small for the oversized man and his desk stacked full of papers and whatnot. A window took up the wall behind the desk, showing Haden's lackeys a green field with a group of people wearing cat ears playing. Jake cleared his throat, preparing to be the spokesman and said "Our message is simple General Hues: He said to prepare Operation KAT for the incoming singing group Tiger Lilly." The wide smile quickly disappeared from the happy general and his gentle gray eyes turned dark.

"Is Haden sure about this?" he asked. His tone had quickly changed from the happy-go-lucky man he was to this. Michel and Jake suddenly had an inner shiver. This is the reason why he became general. Once he turned to the dark General Hues, they feared for their lives.

"He..." started Jake but found he couldn't finish the sentence.

"He is sure Sir. Crystal, or Tiger Lilly has been put under penalty of death under the major and General Haden."

"I see." Hues turned to look out the window, his arms crossed behind his back and silent. After a minute of watching the children play, he turned back to the visitors, his eyes still showing the darkness and said "Tenshi!" a man in a red military uniform with white details ran in, his cat ears matching the dark purple hair that laid flat on his head. He bowed with his right hand over his heart and said "Yes General Hues?"  
"Prepare operation KAT at once please. And give our guests a free room to stay at. I'm sure you two would like to see the show?"

"Yes sir." said all three of them in unison. Tenshi stood up sharply like the drinking bird and marched out of the general's office while Jake and Michel looked at each other. What had the general meant when he said "show?"

* * *

Darkness. That was all the two Elric brothers could see. Nothing outside of their small beam of light from the flashlight Al carried. The street lamps had helped until they were in the forest, where even the moonlight was blocked by the thick trees. The old woman told them before they left that the sun rose at 3 am in Kantori, due to the fact that it stetted around 4 in the afternoon. both Ed and Al knew this now, and were walking as fast as their legs could carry them in the darkness. two's feet made soft pats against the the dirt road and the themselves remained silent. Al wanted to talk, to tell his brother how afraid he was of this, of what would happen if they didn't get there in time. He wanted to, but knew he shouldn't. They needed the silence for a surprise if it came down to a fight or if something would be coming up on them instead. The sound of water hitting rocks slowly filled in the silence and the two felt themselves relax a little.  
however, they tensed right back up when they reached a break in the trees. They looked up at the sky and saw it turning gray.

"Brother-" said Al but Edward shushed him. their walk turned into a jog as they crossed the last few feet to the lake's edge. Ed and Al stopped when their toes were about to go into the water and saw a boat floating about a hundred feet in. The lake wasn't that big, compared to others, but it was obvious at how deep it was when they saw how dark the water was. Standing in the boat was Crystal and Dashin. Their clothes were ripped and torn from what they could see.

"Crystal!" called Al, cupping his hands around where his mouth would be. "Dashin!" the two didn't turn to look at him, but as a big ball of orange started to rise into the sky, Crystal stood up on top of the boat's starboard side.

"Oh crap!" said Ed, already knowing what was going to happen. he took off his red jacket and ran into the lake while Al shouted "brother!"

"Stay there!" the older brother ordered, standing waist deep in the water. Alphonse just nodded and watched as Ed started to swim towards the boat, going as fast as he could. The walking suit turned his attention back to the boat and watched as Crystal stepped off. She didn't move to dive, or to swim, just stepped off like she would a stair, but missed it. Her body plummeted downwards into the water and bubbles rose out of the water. He watched and waited, fear filling him completely until he saw Ed and Crystal's heads pop out of the water. Ed grabbed the side of the dingy boat and lifted her back into it before he vaulted inside it himself. The blond Elric brother took a few deep breaths and whipped the water from his eyes before he said "What the heck were you thinking Crys?" He looked at her and bit his lip. It was obvious that neither of them were going to talk back to them for a while. Crystal and Dashin's eyes were glazed over like someone put frosted glass on their eyes and their faces looked blank and expressionless. He sighed to himself and grabbed the oars for the boat. He sat down on the small seat with Dashin sitting on the bottom of the boat between his knees and started rowing back towards the shore. Wind started to blow wildly around him, forcing Edward to grip the oars tightly for fear of loosing them.

"_Why are you taking them away?_" said an Erie voice from no where in particular. the wind turned into a small tornado on the lake's surface and the ghost appeared. Her lips didn't move but the voice still appeared. "_Why are you taking my Daniel away from me? and why are you saving that wretch singer girl_?"

"Nalissa, they need to come back with me, that's why." said Ed bluntly. He started to row faster, but the tornado continued to spin around him, it's speed picking up. Ed pushed the two band mates's head's down to keep them from blowing away while he himself held on for dear life.

"_Than you shall die with them. No one will leave this lake alive today._" He felt the wind start to pick up even more before the boat started to turn.

"STOP!" Al shouted from the shore. the wind stopped suddenly, the boat slapping against the water sharply. Nalissa looked at him and said "_Why do you stop me?_"

"Because you don't need to kill anyone!" Al answered back. "Dashin is not your long lost love, and Crystal is no wretch. She is one of the nicest people I know! And brother doesn't deserve to die because he's trying to help his friends."

"_But I am so lonely. I need someone to help make that go away._"

"Daniel can. You just have to go to him. It's all right for you to leave now. I'm sure he will be waiting for you on the other side Nalissa." The ghost remained silent, floating in the air. the two Elric brother's watched in stillness as Nalissa quickly burst out crying. '_well, who knew that ghosts could cry._' thought Ed to himself as the ghost said "_thank you, Mr. tin suit. I will. Thank you!_" the ghost slowly started to disappear, the wind around her dying as well. Soon, everything was quiet. Ed slowly paddled the boat to the shore as Nalissa said "_Your friends will wake up soon. Take care my friends!_"

* * *

Next Track: Money Money Money.


	8. Money Money Money

Legend of The Ice Alchemist  
Track 8: Money Money Money

The road was quiet and still as the two busses rolled to a stop in the middle of nowhere. nothing was on the side of the road, just tan colored dirt and a few small bunches of grass. The doors on the buses flew open and both bus drivers walked out. The band mates of Tiger Lilly did the same and waited on the side of the road while the drivers checked their engines.

"This one is fine." said the driver for Crystal's bus. "What about yours James?" there was a pause and James, a young man with his black hair slicked back with hair gel said "Ever thing's fine here Scott." Edward crossed his arms in thought while he stood outside the bus with his brother and Motojime. What could be wrong with the buses? Crystal leaned out of the bus and looked behind them at the second transportation vehicle.

"Hey guys?" she called back to the musicians. "can one of you check the gas tank?" Koshu gave a thumbs up and walked back into the bus while Crystal popped back inside her own. While the bus drivers mumbled to themselves, the pop star reappeared and said "I found the problem."

"What happened?" asked Alphonse, just as confused as everyone else.

"We're out of gas." Everyone looked at her like they were seeing a second head on her while Koshu returned from the bus.

"This ones out of gas too." he said mater-of-factly. Mr. Motojime sighed to himself and hit his forehead with his palm.

"We completely forgot to refuel at Kantori!" the entire group of musicians, drivers, and alchemists all groaned in annoyance.

"Tokichigai Neko town is just a mile or so away." said Gita as she pulled a map from her jean's pocket. she unfolded it and examined it while Fukai looked over her shoulder. "If a few of us walk to it, I'm sure they can get some gas for the buses."

"Good idea Gita!" said the blond bass player with a bubbly smile. "but who's going to go?"

"I think Ed and Al should go. Unlike us, they won't be recognized by the fans." said Dashin as he sat down on the bus' first step. the others nodded while Crystal said "I'll go to. I won't be able to stand five minutes here."

'I don't know Crys." said Motojime, sounding like a father. "What if the fans recognize you?"

"I've already got it covered. I'll be right back." Crystal jumped back into the tour bus while the boys sighed. Mr. Motojime just shrugged his shoulders and walked to the back of the bus. He opened the back by lifting up a long rectangle shaped flap and rummaged around the spare tires and other odds and ends.

"We always keep spare things like tires in case of emergencies like this." the manager explained to the two Elric brothers who fallowed, still digging. After a few minutes he pulled out three medium sized red jugs with a black cap and a handle. He handed two of them to the Elric brothers and held onto the third. the door slid open on the tour bus and Crystal walked out. She looked completely different, so much so that the rest of the group was startled by it. She was wearing a pair of black pants that ended at the hips, a black tank top, a pair of military boots similar to Ed's and the blond Elric brother's spare red jacket with the alchemy circle on the back. She didn't have any gloves like him, but she braided her hair so it looked like a longer, brown version of Ed's hair. The pop star smiled widely like the Elric brother, pointed to her cheeks and said "Now I look like an Elric!"

"Wha-?" asked Ed, pulling his jaw up from the ground. For a second he thought she was a taller him.  
"People won't know it's Tiger Lilly, but Ed and Al's older sister." said Crystal. She walked over to the manager and took the gas can from him while Koshu laughed triumphantly and said "That idea is perfect!"

"You look great Crys!" said Fukai, stars in her eyes. "You are SO going to use that look in the next show."

"Let's get going already." mumbled Edward, feeling annoyed that Crystal was copping his style.

"before you go, Crystal, let me give you you're paycheck for the gas." said Motojime, digging into his slacks pocket. He pulled out a piece of paper that was the size of a business envelope and she thanked him.

"Manager, when do WE get paid?" asked Gita while the disguised pop star put her check in her pants pocket.

"As soon as the next concert is over. I was gonna wait for everybody, but since Crystal needs the money for gas I figured you guys would be okay."

"Yeah, we're patient." said Dashin, hitting Koshu on the head before he grumbled. Crystal giggled at them and said, "we'll see you guys in a little while."

"We'll be hack soon. And don't worry Mr. Motojime, we'll watch after Crys." called Al as the trio started to walk away. the rest of the group waved them off before they all filed into one of the buses. The two Elrics and Crystal didn't really talk as they walked. The sun was high into the sky and blazed down on the three walking. When they were about half way to the town, Crystal took off her borrowed jacket and tied it around her waist. Ed kept his on and while they continued on for a while, the pop star finally said "how do you stand keeping your coat on? I'm baking here!"

"You get used to it. I've always covered my limbs since the accident." Edward replied. "But why are you hot? don't you live in a desert Crys?"

"Oh. I've actually only lived in Ramsville for two years. and most of that was indoors with air conditioning. "

"I see." the group continued to remain silent until they saw the outskirts of the town. The buildings were squat, short and looked like they were made out of a stiff cardboard. the sign above their heads said "WELCOME TO TOKICHIGAI NEKO TOWN: HOME OF THE CATS! " and hung above them in an arc.

"Home of the cats? What do they mean by that?" wondered Al as they walked into the town. the other two shrugged their shoulders and Ed said "You're guess is as good as mine Al." nobody was outside of their homes and the streets were so narrow that the three had to walk in a line. they walked through the town, quickly finding the gas station. The station was basically just four hand held pumps and a small little house in the center with a window and a ledge on one side.

"You boys fill up the gas cans while I pay." said Crystal, handing her red canister to Edward. The two boys walked over to the pumps and pressed the button while the disguised pop star marched herself to the little house. She peaked inside the window, covering the sides of her eyes with her hands to get a better look. After a minute of stiff looking, she turned around and said "No body's here!"

"Are you sure Crys?" called Al as he screwed the black cap on top of his gas can.

"Yes. it looks like no ones been here all day."

"Oh well," said Ed, picking up both full gas containers from the ground. "We get free gas then. Let's get going."

"I'm going to look around the town a bit and find the inn." said Crystal as she took her red container. "you boys can go back without me if you want."  
"Uh, no way." said the blond Elric brother. "We said we should protect you and we're not giving up our jobs."  
'"Fine." Crystal held her gas can behind her shoulder blade like it weighed nothing at all and the three started to walk around again. The buildings around them started to look like their blueprints were designed by Van Gouh while the shops had strange names such as "CATNIP R US" or "PUR-R-RFECT TREATS: FISH, LIVER AND CHICKEN." The father into town they went, the stranger the buildings got. Some of them looked like giant litter boxes while others resembled things like dog houses.

'"This town is really weird." commented Crystal as they passed a small litter box-like building with a sign that read "THE CATNAP CAFE." "and where is everybody? We haven't seen a single person since we got here."

"Maybe there's something going on." suggested Ed as a hiss entered the strange silence. the group stopped and he said "What was that?" there was another hiss and something flew in front of them. A small girl with aquamarine blue hair wearing cat ears and a fake tail hit the building across the street and slid to the ground while the others gasped. Crystal dropped her gas can while the Elric brothers dropped theirs and got into defensive mode. While they started to look around, Crystal gently grabbed the young girl's shoulder and said "Hey, are you okay sweetie?" the girl moaned and opened her eyes, the cat ears twitching slightly. The pop star noticed this but didn't say anything while the girl tried to stand up. when she was one her feet, she started to fall and Crystal, while on her knees, caught her. She stood up, holding the young girl in the crook of her arm and marveled at how small she was. The girl looked to be about seven, but was the size of a three year old. The girl's tale swung from side to side as about five more short people with cat ears and tales ran out of an alleyway near them. All of them were young boys and had different colored hair like the girl.

"C'mon Jess," said one of the boys with bright fire orange hair. "You know what will happen if we're late again." the young girl in Crystal's arms shook her head no and hid her face in the hallow of the pop star's shoulder.

"Do you want us to throw you again?" said a second boy with olive green hair and matching eyes.

"you...THREW her?" asked Edward, surprised as he looked back at Crystal. She continued to hold Jess like a protective mother while a third boy with daisy yellow hair said "Yeah, we always toss her when she does something wrong or weird."

"Okay, that's it."

"Brother?" asked Al, watching as his brother pulled off his red coat. The look in his eyes showed both annoyance and anger, which startled the younger Elric. "Brother, what are you going to do?"

"Just teach them to not throw girls around. Is that okay Crystal?" the blond replied while the five boys gasped from both fear and surprise at Ed's arm.

"Fine by me." said Crystal, wrapping her free hand around the girl while she shook. Edward smirked to himself and clapped his hands together. the five boys looked at each other quickly before they all turned tale and ran back into the alleyway on all fours. The group all relaxed and Crystal cooed "it's okay sweetie, they're gone now." the small girl stopped shaking and lifted her face from the pop star's shoulder. Tears were streaming down her face from her brown eyes and the two Elric brothers walked up to them.

"Why did those boys threw you into the wall Jess?" asked Alphonse. Jess gulped while her ears twitched.  
"Because I saw you walking and wanted to say hi. They thought it was stupid and they threw me."

"poor baby." cooed Crystal again. "I'm sorry they did that."

"it wasn't your fault. Not really."

"still."

"I have to ask Jess, but why is everyone wearing cat ears and tails?" asked Ed, gently touching her blue tail with his normal hand. it pulled itself away from his gentle grip and she answered "they're not fake. They are real."

* * *

_PREVIEW: Track 9: Cat Scratch Fever_


	9. Cat Scratch fever!

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I don't own the song "pressure" which is by Jump5.

Legend Of The Ice Alchemist  
Track 9: Cat Scratch Fever

"It's about time you showed up!" called Koshu as he leaned out of the tan tour bus, waving. "we were starting to worry about you Crys."

"Sorry we took so long Koshu, but it took a few minutes to find the gas station." Crystal called back as she and the two Elric brothers walked up to the two buses parked on the side of the road. She handed the red canister to her bus's driver while the Elrics gave theirs to Koshu and the band's driver. Both Ed and Al were marveled at how the pop star could keep her cool and act all happy when she learned something horrible just an hour ago. Back in Tokichigai Neko town, when the group asked young Jess what she meant by the cat ears and tales were real, she told them exactly what happened.

"This town is ruled by a crazy cat-loving king." she explained to them while they sat at a table at the Catnip Cafe. The people were still gone and the sun was starting to set in the town.

"One day, a magician known as an alchemist came to town and said he could turn everyone into cats, to an extent. The king told him that he didn't want everyone to become cats so the magician could only turn bad people into cats. after about ten years of this, the magician left, saying he needed to go to another town. The King, loving having all of his subjects with cat ears, issued an order that everyone must wear cat ears and tales."

"But that doesn't make sense why you're ears are real." said Edward. He was hit sharply on the head by Crystal and she said "Let Jess continue." the pop star had an intent look on her face and her eyes showed an emotion that they never showed before: hate. Ed nodded and the cat girl continued.

"But as soon as the magician left, people were no longer afraid to turn into cats so the crime went up again. To stop this, the king hired another alchemist to take care of things for him. However he didn't know how to transmutate people well enough for things to work. the criminals died at first so the new magician started to experiment with young babies. I was his first success at giving people cat ears and tales."

"What is this new guy's name?" asked Alphonse, expecting a hit from Crystal as well. she didn't do anything except listened as Jess said "His name is Hues. General Hues."

"We'll be back later on." said Crystal, standing up from her small metal chair. "When we do, can you take us to Hues, Jess?"

"Yes. He needs to be stopped." Crystal marched herself into her black tour bus and called out "manager!"

"You're back Crys!" called out Motojime as he walked out of his room at the back of the bus. he smiled at her, but the stiff, mad look stopped him in his tracks and he said "Crystal? what's going on?"

"Tokichigai Neko town." she simple said, unbraiding her hair. The brown locks fell onto her shoulders and she shook it off with a flip of her head.

"What about it?"

"That place is crazy! I met a girl there and she told me the king was conducting experiments on the people to turn them into cats! it just go me so mad that i told her that we would be back to take care of the alchemist who was doing it."

"Crystal Motojime!" said the manager with his father tone. "how could you tell that girl something like that! you know you can't fight at all."

"I know, but Ed and Al can. besides i was planning something like just grabbing Jess and getting her the heck out of there." Mr. Motojime thought quietly to himself as the rest of the band and the Elric brothers chatted outside while they waited for the buses to be filled up. After a few minutes, the manager turned to his adopted daughter and said "do you think this is for the best?"

"Yes." she said automatically. "Jess is treated horribly in that town."

"Okay. When we leave for the next town, we're taking Jess with us."

* * *

"..._Don't have any doubt  
What my life's about  
I'm gonna show you  
this is not my way  
You can't take that away  
Don't even try to_

Don't pressure me  
don't push me too far  
I wanna do right with all my heart  
Don't pressure me  
what about your self-respect?  
I'm not like that  
I'm not like that

_Don't pressure me  
don't push me too far  
I wanna do right with all my heart  
Don't pressure me  
what about your self-respect?  
I'm not like that  
I'm not like that_

_Don't pressure me!_ "

the music slowed down to a stop while Tiger Lilly took a breath. The crowd in Tokichigai Neko town was as lively as any other crowd they had come across, except everyone wore fake cat ears that looked like they belonged to tigers mainly. Crystal's eyes skimmed the crowd as the lights formed on her but she didn't see the little cat girl with blue hair that she met earlier that day. there was about a 10 second pause from her as the crowd cheered before she said "Thanks a lot everybody! Thank you so much for having us. Before I preform the last song I wish for everyone to know that if you want me back for another concert, just send a letter to my manager, Mr. Motojime!" the audience burst with applause as the pop star thought '_like i would ever come back you crazy people!_' her face didn't betray her thoughts as the next song started. It was slow and when she sang it, the audience silenced. As Edward and Al watched from behind the curtain, they too, remained silent. They had never heard that song before and was just as entranced with it as the rest of the crowd. When the song slowed to a stop, the crowd suddenly burst with energy once again and started to go nuts. Tiger Lilly waved goodbye before she marched herself off of the stage. When she passed the Elric brothers, she looked at them stiffly, as if she was preparing for battle and said "So, what did you think of our new song?"

"It's good." said Al, not knowing what else to say about it.

"yeah, I am wondering something though." said Ed, getting her attention. "I've noticed that every concert has different music in it. Why is that?"

"It's because I don't want to preform the same concert twice." she answered in the same stiff tone. "before every concert the group and I decide on what to play for the night. When we practice at the stops we make final tweaks to each song to make sure it's ready for the concert. That way two stories will never be the same. Everyone will have a different experience in each town." Crystal walked down the steps of the old fashioned wood stage and turned back to the Elric brothers.

"Gita, Fukai, Koshu and Dashin will take care of the instruments tonight. We have something else to take care of." the two brothers looked at each other while the singer walked away before they ran down the steps after her. The three started to walk through the dark down light only by streetlamps, saying nothing. The two boys had no idea what they were doing until they found themselves at the Catnip Cafe once again.

"Jess!" Crystal shouted as she started to look around. A trash can fell over and the young girl with aquamarine hair was standing next to it. She smiled at the group before she jumped into the singer's arms with a hug. Crystal hugged her back while the boys watched, awed at the love fest.

"C'mon, lets get going before anyone see's us." said Ed after a minute. The pop star nodded and they started to march back to the tour buses. in the darkness they didn't see the person fallowing them until the figure jumped high into the air and landed in front of them. The singer froze in mid step while the Elrics got into fighting stances.

"I can't let you leave Tiger Lilly." said the figure.

* * *

Previw: Track 10-What's new Pussycat?


	10. What's New Pussycat?

**_AUTHOR'S NOTE:_** FYI, the name of the town, Tokichigai Neko Town, means "mad cat town" in English. I think all of you readers know why it's called that I think...

Legend Of The Ice Alchemist

Track 10: What's new Pussycat?

A tall man with dark cat ears and a tale walked out of the shadow, his claws out. He looked to be about 20 and had dark blue or black hair. Crystal with Jess clinging to her hand took a step back behind Ed and Al before the blond Elric brother said "don't even think about coming near her."

"Are you going to get in my way shorty?" asked the cat man with a slight hiss. Edward's face turned bright red while both Al and Crystal said "Uh oh." Alphonse stepped closer to the pop star and the cat girl, his arm held up protectively while Edward screamed "SHORTY?! I'LL SHOW YOU SHORTY!" He clapped his hands together with a light then slapped them on the ground. a large square piece of metal shot out of the ground under the man, making him yelp like a cat as he was shot through the air. in the air, he did a back flip and landed on all fours while Ed smirked to himself. Another square of metal shot out of the ground. The man dodged this one and started running for the group on all fours.

"Desmond, stop it!" Jess shouted as she stood next to Crystal. The pop star squeezed her hand while the cat man continued to run and said "boys, I give you my full permission to whip his butt."

"Like I was going to ask." said Ed, popping his fingers. "Al, stay by Crys."

"Okay brother." said the walking suit. Ed stood next to Desmond's path of movement and stuck out his metal foot. the cat man continued to run until one of his back feet connected with Ed's steel foot. He yelped out as he did a face plant into the earth and his tale twitched. He quickly jumped back up and wiped off of his face while Edward appeared in front of him out of nowhere. The blond Elric brother smirked to himself as he pulled back is arm and slammed his fist into the cat man's gut. Desmond howled out and fell to his knees, holding his midsection.

"Yeouch." said Crystal, squeezing the younger girl's hands. Al just nodded while Ed grabbed Desmond's collar and said "you have one chance to explain why you attacked us."

"Because General Hues has issued that the Tiger Lilly must die, along with all of her companions." the cat man grunted. The blond Elric brother turned his head around to look at the pop star then back before he said "I don't see what's so dangerous about her. Now, if you want to live to see your next birthday, I suggest you leave now." there was a thump as he let Desmond go and he turned back.

"It's too late for the band, you know." said Desmond as he stood back up, a Cheshire cat smile across his face. Ed turned back around while Crystal looked at him shocked and Al said "What?"

"They already have been captured and are going to be sacrificed to the cat god, Uzela."

"He has got to be joking." said Crystal, looking down at Jess. The cat girl shook her head and said "everyone who can't be saved or turned into a cat is scarified to Uzela. There's no hope for the band." Crystal didn't show any emotion in her face but her hand squeezed Jess' hand so much that her fingers turned purple. Ed lunged at the cat man and grabbed his midsection. They fell to the ground quickly before Ed pulled back his arm again and hit Desmond square in the face. Blood started to spout from his nose while Al said "Ed, did you have to hit him that hard?"

"Yes, unless Crys wanted to hit him." answered the blond Elric brother.

"I didn't want to hit him." said Crystal, her voice sounding dark and mysterious. "I just want to beat the living crap out of General Hues and to save my friends."

* * *

The location that the townspeople of Tokichigai Neko town sacrificed the martyrs to Uzela was an open field west of town. In the field was a small hill that held two long totem poles with a cat head on each and what looked like something the citizens would tie their horse's reins too stood next to the poles. around the meadow was a tree line in which Ed, Al, Crystal and Jess were hiding in the shadows.

"Look, there they are." whispered the pop star, pointing to the top of the hill. The group could barely see Koshu and Gita tied to the totem poles, their limbs stretched out to make X's while Motojime, Fukai, and Dashin were tied to the horse corral, their hands bound together. at the base of the hill, almost everyone in the town and who were at the concert just an hour or so ago was clustered to one side. In the front was a man who was tall and round, with a handlebar mustache and blond hair with traces of gray. Another man sat next to him in a silver and leather wheel chair. He looked like he was in his 80's with wisps of white hair clinging to his bare scalp and a small gold crown was on his head. A red velvet cape was draped over the man's shoulders and no one was near him in the front.

"That's the King, King Jack." whispered Jess, pointing to the old man. "and that is the magician, General Hues." she pointed to the round man and Ed nodded.

"I recognized him. He was rendered great and powerful at the military base back in Risenbull." said the blond brother with a slight sour look on his face. "He may be strong, be that doesn't give him an excuse to transform people into cats. How does he even keep the equilibrium?"

"I'm not sure." answered Jess. "But every time he changes a person, the king seems to get older and older. He is, in truth, only 30." Crystal let out a gasp while Ed shook his head and Al said "He is taking the life energy of the king to transform people." the group went into silence as Hues took a few steps away from the group and turned to the crowd.

"Townspeople of Tokichigai Neko," he shouted in a booming voice, raising his two hands into the air. "Today we have some trouble makers. Do you, people of this town, think they should be sacrificed to the god Uzela?" the crowd all chanted a yes and Hues smiled to himself. he turned back around away from the group and pulled out a small piece of white chalk. He drew on his hands then slapped them together. there was a gray glow around the digits as he gently pulled them apart and said "great cat god Uzela! please hear our plea and come forth!" he slapped his hands onto the dirt ground in front of him with a thump and the ground quivered. The dirt and grass glowed with bright gray light and a line formed from the energy wound it's way a few feet away. the round general stood back as the earth shook and piled up until it was several feet into the air. The earth glowed with the gray light while Crystal and her companions gasped out loud. the dirt morphed into a giant form of a brown and green cat with white rock eyes. It stood up on all fours and meowed deeply, it's sound reverberating to everything and making the poles and the trees shake.

"You can't get away with this!" Gita called out, the smallest amount of terror in he voice.

"Yeah! let us go you nut job!" shouted Fukai, tugging at the string that was wrapped tightly around her wrists.

"We shall see." said Hues back to them. The cat smiled, showing it's sharp teeth made out of grass and mud. General Hues turned to the tree line, looking directly at the spot where the pop star, the cat girl and the two Elric brothers but not seeing them and said "Come on out Tiger Lilly! If you don't, than you're band will be eaten by Uzela!"

"As if she is here!" shouted Koshu, though his voice betrayed his fear slightly. "Crys is a chicken to fights like this."

"She might have come to save us." Dashin mumbled under his breath.

"You have 20 seconds Tiger Lilly!" shouted Hues. He tugged his red military jacket's sleeve up and gazed at his watch while the seconds ticked by. Crystal bit her lip, thinking while Mr. Motojime shouted to the trees "Don't listen to him Crystal! get out of here!" Jess squeezed the pop star's arm and whispered "what are you going to do?"

"Ten seconds!"

"I don't know." she replied. Edward looked at his metal brother and they nodded. Alphonse turned to Crystal and said "We'll surround them and Uzela here in the tree line. Can you distract them long enough for us?"

"Five Seconds!"

"Sure." Crystal jumped out of her hiding spot and broke the tree line as General Hues counted to one. the crowd gasped out loud while her band mates looked at her with fear. Not for them, but for the brave 17-year-old. Crystal marched out into the middle of the field, her face placid while she could faintly hear the leaves rustle as the Elric brothers moved. When she was about half way between the giant cat made out of the earth and the forest, she took a deep breath, crossed her arms over her chest and shouted "Okay I'm here! What was so important that you needed to threaten my friends and family Hues?"

"So I see that my reputation has reached Ramsville." said the general full of self pride. The king next to him said nothing, but gazed at the young pop star with wise eyes. Crystal let out a stiff laugh and said "nope, but I heard about you from my guards and one of the citizens of the town."

"Body guards?"

"Yes, i have guards, but i made them protect the buses while I came alone." the General chuckled to himself and shook his head. he reached into his jacket and pulled out a piece of paper rolled up with a piece of white string holding it closed. He cleared his throat as he unwound it and shouted in his booming voice "Crystal Motojime, also known as the Tiger Lilly, by order of the military faction in Ramsville and in Tokichigai Neko, you are sentenced to death for not observing the rules and for breaking code of conduct. By issue of the citizens of Tokichigai Neko, your death will to be eaten by the great cat god Uzela." the crowd all cheered approval while the giant cat meowed. Crystal let out a held breath and said "I will only agree to this accusation if you let my band and family go."

"Of course. Jake, Michel, cut the ropes now." the two Haden lackeys appeared out of nowhere and marched to the totem poles and horse corral. They took out two small daggers and in one swift motions, they sliced the ropes for Koshu and Gita. Everyone directed their attention back to the pop star as she uncrossed her arms and said "Okay, you must let them leave safely."

"Of course." repeated General Hues. he nodded to the cat as Crystal turned to her band mates and manager before she said "What ever happens guys, i want you to get out of this wacko town."

"But Crys-!" started Mr. Motojime but the look his adopted daughter gave him stopped him. he knew she was right but he didn't like it at all. Crystal looked up at the earth formed cat and said "When ever you are ready Uzela." the strange giant cat licked it's grassy lips while it meowed and opened it's mouth wide. Gita and Koshu quickly untied the knots holding Dashin, Motojime and Fukai as Crystal closed her eyes. The giant cat bent down to take a large bite when a burst of white light covered the ground between them. The cat hissed and yowled as it's grassy face slammed into a large sheet of metal that jetted from the earth and the crowd turned to the tree line once again. Ed was standing in front of the trees, his hands clapped together like he was praying. an evil smirk was one his face as he shouted "take one more step near Crystal and you will die General Hues."

"Uzela! Get him, then the Tiger Lilly!" the round general ordered. the cat nodded slightly and ran towards the blond Elric brother.

"Ed, look out!" Crystal shouted. the blond Elric brother didn't move as the cat neared. There was a soft white light from the ground in front of him and suddenly, the giant cat fell into a deep hole. the lines of an alchemy circle surrounded it and Alphonse walked out of the trees, clapping his hands to remove the white chalk powder. the giant cat made out of dirt and grass yowled sadly from the pit created by the Elrics while the round general shouted "you won't get away from this body guards."

"Are you sure about that Hues?" asked Al, sounding like his brother more than him. "because there's more to that hole than meets the eye." a white glow surrounded Hues' feet and he looked down. He recognized an alchemy circle and yelped as the ground caved in under him. He let out a shout of surprise as he came back up, holding the mouth of the giant cat open to keep it from swallowing him whole. Hues grunted against the force of the cat made out of earth while the ground shook. Crystal fell to her knees and covered her eyes while Ed and Al didn't flinch while the general in the red military uniform was swallowed. The cat meowed deeply and loudly before it shivered violently and turned into a pile of dirt and grass that filled the hole and the connecting tunnel. the crowd gasped out loud and the king raised his withered old hand into the air. The crowd hushed as Gita, Fukai, Koshu, Dashin and Motojime ran to Crystal, terrified looks on their faces.

"Citizens of the town," said the king in a young voice. "What you just saw was most likely karma. General Hues abused my like of cats to force everyone into the form of a cat and to try to kill an Innocent young woman. I can see that Miss Crystal was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and an apology needs to be given." The king turned to the band while the two Elric brothers joined them and he said "Miss Crystal, Tiger Lilly, body guards I, King Jack formally apologize for all of the wrong doing that we have caused you. If there is anything you wish for, please let me know to amend this incident."

"There is two things, sir." said Crystal, standing up with the help of the other girls. Her legs felt like jello but she stood up tall and said "I would like the blessing of safe passage to leave the town of Tokichigai Neko and to allow us to bring a citizen with us."

"And who do you wish to bring with you Miss?"

"Her name is Jess. She was kind to us and escorted us to here." the crowd of the people of the town murmured quietly to themselves as the king thought. after a minute he nodded and said "You may take Miss Jess. She is an orphan, as most of the children are in this town now and she needs someone to take care of her. I believe your group can do just that. And I will allow you to go safely without any trouble. Now people of Tokichigai Neko, let us head on home and allow these musicians and alchemists to leave in peace." a man with cat ears and a tale walked up behind the old king and pushed the wheelchair to lead the rest of the group out of the field. Once the only ones in the meadow was the band, Jess ran out of the tree line and jumped into Crystal's arms. She hugged the pop star tight and whispered "oh thank you! Thank you!"

"It's okay Jess." said Crystal. Gita patted the cat girl on the shoulder gently and said "come, lets get back to the buses."

* * *

_Next Track: Ice Queen_


End file.
